December 2013
We wish you blessings in the holiday season, thankful that God is always faithful.
Highlights for our year included two trips to the northwest. Our first was in July, as we flew up to Pasco, Washington to meet up with Gina's mother, Betty. She joined us as we continued on to Idaho for a week of medical education nestled in Hayden Lake's beautiful Camp Mivoden. Although Betty had been there many summers ago working as a camp nurse, it was the first time for our little family. Camping with an infant is challenging: the cabins were rustic and very basic, and we had to contend with chilly nights and swarms of stinging insects. But the food was delicious, and the scenery could not have been more beautiful. There were fun activities for the whole family -- gymnastics and horse-back riding for Rachel, zip-lining and a giant swing for Ed (Gina is still recovering from that swing), and ceramics classes for Betty and Gina. We are looking forward to returning next year.
Gina got to stay in Washington a couple more weeks after Ed returned home, and together with the kids enjoyed gorgeous weather filled with puppy romps, excursions to the park, Nana's healthy and delicious vegetable juices in the mornings, picking fresh mint and grapes from the yard, playing with the cousins, swinging in Nana's hammocks and swings, and relaxing in the big outdoor hot tub. We had so much fun, Gina decided to take the kids up for another trip in November. Although the weather was decidedly cooler, we had a wonderful couple of weeks that included a trip to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth in the middle of Washington. So much fun!
Here are some personal notes from each of us to sum up our year: Ed continues to work at the Riverside Kaiser in the Endocrinology department. He likes this season for the musical programs in which he participates and the football games he gets to watch (and which the Cowboys occasionally win).
Gina has concluded her first year as a full-time stay-at-home mom. It has brought both joys and challenges, but it has been the biggest blessing of her life. She enjoys time spent with other moms as she learns how to navigate this precious time in our children's lives.
Rachel is blossoming as she grows into an intelligent, creative, and joyful little girl. Her vocabulary has exploded into the inevitable "why's" and "how's" as she explores her environment. Her favorite things are going to Mommy's Network, experimenting with Spanish, coloring and drawing, listening to Daddy play the tuba, talking to Nana on Skype, watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, talking to her Curious George, anything that has Hello Kitty on it, helping Grandpa make breakfast, and playing with her little brother. And reading reading reading!
Nathan's vocabulary is coming along too, now that he has a few teeth in his mouth to help him form the words. His favorites right now are "shoe," "bottle," and "book." He took his first steps at 8 months so now, at 13 months, he is a terror on his feet and keeps Mommy busy as he wanders up, down, and into everything in the house. He loves to eat and is expanding his palate daily; he hasn't met many foods he doesn't like.
More family notes: In July, Gina's dad, Leonard, moved in with us after a scary accident on the job landed him in the hospital with a concussion. It has been so nice having him close. He decided driving trucks is no longer for him and has instead focused his free time volunteering at Loma Linda Broadcasting Network. He is their jack-of-all-trades and you can see his name in the directing credits more and more often. He also babysits for us so Ed and Gina can have the occasional date night. Whoo hoo!
Ed's mom and dad, Shirley and George, bought a house in a lovely gated community in Banning, just a few minutes' drive away from us. They moved in during October in time to help us celebrate Nathan's big birthday bash. Mom had hip surgery this month and, we are happy to report, is recovering beautifully. They will return to New Leipzig, North Dakota in April. Having them near us six months out of the year is a great blessing to us.
So that was our 2013. What has your year been like? We love hearing from you and seeing your family pictures every year.
